[AgentXXL]

  Thanks Dale.  Looks like there's one in TO so that's good news.
 

 
Too bad I don't have another balanced amp or I'd be willing to send you my Intruder to try. I'm patiently waiting for my Light Harmonic Geek Pulse X /f /i but I don't expect it for another couple of months. If I had a little more cash saved up I might pickup a Bryston BHA-1, but alas the recent Light Harmonic campaigns for both the Pulse and the Wave/Source have left my savings quite depleted. Good luck on your hunt for an amp that you find will suit your musical taste!
 
Dale

 

[SBranson]

Thanks very much for the offer.  I may have to a balanced cable for the HE560s as I already have the xlr-rsa adapter..
If that intruder is still available I think I will try it out.  The fact that you have it and can vouch for it helps the decision greatly.
 
Thanks,
Stuart

 

[Sonic Defender]

I just finished a nice, but short listening session but I left realizing just how fast and agile the 560 is, very impressive. I am also noticing something that may be a characteristic of planar bass reproduction in general. While there seems to be less thud bass impact what I notice with the bass (and frankly with all of the frequencies we compare) is that with my dynamics bass seems to feel more rounded and thud impact, but with a planar the sound impulses seem very evenly and fully distributed across the sound field. I am having a hard time articulating this, but while perhaps having less round bass changes how impact is perceived the bass is more immersive and very nuanced. I like this very much. This is my first planar headphone and if this type of sonic characteristic is at all normal or all in my head (no pun intended) I haven't the faintest.
 
I like the 560 and I have to admit, with a little more time together I am now hearing the Asgard 2 as being able to drive the 560 better than I first thought. Perhaps I needed to get used to the somewhat different planar versus dynamic can presentation? Anyway, so far I am quite infatuated with my new headphone. Does it show? 

 

[davidsh]

Planar bass doesn't always kick the hardest or give the hardest thud, instead you get an agile bass with a good deal of presence and a tendency to feel 'big' and expansive. It's just there, you don't really feel it's a transducer producing the bass. My experience, especially with HE-560.

 

[jamesng45678]

Has anyone tried it with the Lehmann Audio BCL, it is a wonderful amp.

 

[daerron]

  Has anyone tried it with the Lehmann Audio BCL, it is a wonderful amp.

 
If the HE-560 is more efficient to drive compared to the HE-500 it should be a very nice amp. Still sorry I sold mine, sounded decent with the HE-500, but not enough power to really bring out the bass. Would pair it with a warmer sounding DAC though.

 

[Art Garfunkel]

I got my HE560 yesterday and I wanted my wife to understand why I was so passionate and had my heart set on getting them. So I let her listen to them first, for about half an hour. I quote her "They sound very nice but kind of cold and warm at the same time" 

 

[Sonic Defender]

Don't try to bang a square peg into a round hole. Many people enjoy music, but the quality of music reproduction is not really that important to them, or they don't perceive differences that we find obvious and important. It is hard to believe some people don't care, but sadly many do not. Your wife may be one of them. Not to mention she is likely a little biased against them due to her feelings on the expenditure.
 
As well, if she wasn't a headphone user in my experience some people feel isolated while wearing them and that may contribute to them feeling a coldness as that is likely how feeling isolated may manifest itself. Not to mention, the planar sound is quite different from what I can tell in that it is very expansive and perhaps seems more diffuse then people are used to. 

 

[jerg]

But then again, sometimes the most unassuming non-audiophiles have the most unbiased perception on sound quality.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Planar bass doesn't always kick the hardest or give the hardest thud, instead you get an agile bass with a good deal of presence and a tendency to feel 'big' and expansive. It's just there, you don't really feel it's a transducer producing the bass. My experience, especially with HE-560.

Don't have my 560's yet, but with my former main speakers, SoundLab 845's, the bass is very articulate, quick, agile, ________(add adjective of choice here), versus, deeper, somewhat slower, a tad more impactful bass reproduction by dynamic drivers. IMO, planar bass is closer to, "the absolute sound", if the driver has the capability of reaching deep bass. My new Alpha Dogs have similar bass presentation, cannot wait to compare the 560's to them.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  But then again, sometimes the most unassuming non-audiophiles have the most unbiased perception on sound quality.

Or maybe they just like Apple iBuds?

 

[SBranson]

I'm  reminded of the experiment where they compared wines with "experts" and "regular folks", only they switched the wines so the experts thought they were trying expensive ones when in fact the label had been changed.
The "regular folks" picked out the bad from the good with more accuracy than the "experts", some of whom made complete idiots of themselves on camera singing the praises and subtleties of a very poor wine due to their biases.

 

[Ron12]

  Don't try to bang a square peg into a round hole. Many people enjoy music, but the quality of music reproduction is not really that important to them, or they don't perceive differences that we find obvious and important. It is hard to believe some people don't care, but sadly many do not. Your wife may be one of them. Not to mention she is likely a little biased against them due to her feelings on the expenditure.
 
As well, if she wasn't a headphone user in my experience some people feel isolated while wearing them and that may contribute to them feeling a coldness as that is likely how feeling isolated may manifest itself. Not to mention, the planar sound is quite different from what I can tell in that it is very expansive and perhaps seems more diffuse then people are used to. 

 
I enjoy this hobby very much... But at the end of the day, I can easily listen to music and enjoy it with a crappy radio.. and feel connected to my favourite tracks, to feel happy. And I can tell you that I would feel really weird if I couldn't because music is what I am after - not gear. Gear is only a pleasing distraction, music is what gives my life a sense.
 
Be honest to yourself - the crappiest headphones excluded, you can hear most of what is recorded in the song using almost any audio chain. Audiophiles are chasing the last few percents... So it's absolutely logical that 99% of people won't hear a large difference or find it worth the money and efforts. Just like I don't understand people spending on their ultra-authentic plasmas or cameras or whatever.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
I enjoy this hobby very much... But at the end of the day, I can easily listen to music and enjoy it with a crappy radio.. and feel connected to my favourite tracks, to feel happy. And I can tell you that I would feel really weird if I couldn't because music is what I am after - not gear. Gear is only a pleasing distraction, music is what gives my life a sense.
 
Be honest to yourself - the crappiest headphones excluded, you can hear most of what is recorded in the song using almost any audio chain. Audiophiles are chasing the last few percents... So it's absolutely logical that 99% of people won't hear a large difference or find it worth the money and efforts. Just like I don't understand people spending on their ultra-authentic plasmas or cameras or whatever.

What I said has nothing to do with the general ability to enjoy music, the two are not mutually exclusive. I was specifically speaking to the OP feeling confused that his partner wasn't taken with the musical reproduction benefits of his gear that traditionally an audiophile would. And Ron12, be honest with yourself, if you wanted to enjoy music given the choice would you really reach for a crappy little radio or opt for better gear? We are talking about preferences and tendencies, not absolutes.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I'm  reminded of the experiment where they compared wines with "experts" and "regular folks", only they switched the wines so the experts thought they were trying expensive ones when in fact the label had been changed.
The "regular folks" picked out the bad from the good with more accuracy than the "experts", some of whom made complete idiots of themselves on camera singing the praises and subtleties of a very poor wine due to their biases.

Very true, but while I would never say I could in a double blind situation reliably pick out say a 320 file from lossless, or tell the difference between a $1200 amp and a $800 amp; however, I feel comfortable saying I could pick out the difference between a Marley head phone and the HE-560. Just sayin.